An undated satellite image shows a Chinese land reclamation project in the South China Sea. Xinhua Photo

China is claiming its massive engineering efforts to reclaim some land in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is nearing an end ahead of a larger construction effort, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday. Read More →

President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015. White House Photo

Indo-U.S. relations have been the subject of interest for many policy analysts and with the emergence of an economic and military powerhouse in India, they have major implications for the United States and rest of the world. The divorced relationship that existed since the Cold war has gone beyond mutual suspicion and emerged as trusted friends. The liberalization of the Indian economy in 1991 brought new-found opportunities for both the nations. Read More →

Recent and ongoing tensions in the Western Pacific, such as the verbal confrontation between a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft and a Chinese Navy ground station in the Spratly islands on May 20, will not be solved by the actions of one power. Read More →

An undated photo pf President of the The Philippines Benigno Aquino visiting a bridge simulator at the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy

As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was preparing to speak before a joint session of Congress on expanding trade in the Pacific, a delegation of legislators and businessmen from the Philippine maritime industry were meeting with transportation officials and would later meet with their American counterparts to find means to better educate their ratings and put more officers aboard the world’s merchant fleet. Read More →

Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo

The head of U.S. naval forces in the Western Pacific said the U.S. would support an emerging plan to create multi-national patrols in the South China Sea that could bear similarities to anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of Malacca. Read More →

China’s ambiguous claim to the South China Sea, approximately demarcated by a series of hash marks known as the “nine-dashed line,” faced objections from an expanding number of parties over the past two weeks. While a challenge from the United States came from an unsurprising source, actions by Indonesia and Vietnam were unexpected in their tone and timing. Read More →

An undated photo of a Marine with the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines. DoD Photo

The decreasing threat from al Qaeda-linked terror groups in the Philippines has prompted Pentagon leaders to shutter one of the U.S. military’s long-running counterterrorism operations, but will maintain a sizable special operations force (SOF) in country for the foreseeable future. Read More →